Food Safety is Everyone’s Business
World Food Safety Day falls on 7 June annually. Its purpose is to draw attention to food safety and inspire action to help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks to ensure that food is safe. This day is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Member States and other organizations.
The slogan for this year’s World Food Safety Day is “Food Safety is Everyone’s Business.” Anyone can be the victim of unsafe food. Bacteria, viruses, parasites, and chemical substances found in food are responsible for over 200 diseases. How food is produced, stored, distributed, handled, prepared, and consumed affects its safety. Thus, everyone in the food chain– producers, processors, transporters, distributors, retailers, cooks, and consumers—plays a part in assuring that food is safe.
World Food Safety Day 2024 also has a theme: “Food safety: prepare for the unexpected.” Unexpected food safety incidents include international food safety alerts, foodborne disease outbreaks, manufacturer product recalls, natural disasters, and even a power outage at home. Everyone involved in food safety—from policymakers to participants in the food chain—is urged to consider if they are prepared for the unexpected and, if not, what they can do to better prepare. Food businesses may need to improve their food safety management plan and better communicate with other businesses and consumers about food safety issues. Consumers should better educate themselves about food safety and learn what to do in the event of a food safety incident.
WHO and the FAO of the United Nations have produced leaflets containing food safety tips for nine different food producers and providers, as well as the home and the workplace. “Each leaflet describes how food safety is maintained in each environment and specifies ways authorities, producers and consumers can all play their part in preventing foodborne illness and improving food safety for all in the long term.” Each leaflet ends with an idea on how to celebrate World Food Safety Day.
For anyone interested in observing World Food Safety Day, WHO and the FAO have provided promotional materials , a communication toolkit, and ideas for how to participate in the day.
Emcare offers several courses on food hygiene. To get more information or book a course, visit our website or call us: 0141 404 0075.
Sources
https://www.un.org/en/observances/food-safety-day
https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-food-safety-day/2024
https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/world-food-safety-day/wfsd-homepage/en/
